Caught!
by HOTTERTHNU
Summary: the whole Luke and Julie thing, and my spin of what Marissa does after finding out
1. Summary

Caught!  
  
A/N: This is basically summing up what happened. Next chapter will be about Marissa running away—where she goes, who goes after her. There might be a third chapter, I'll see. And look for the final chapter of Torn today. Best Days will be updated soon; I've decided to write a few chapters before posting the next one.  
  
I'm screwed over, and I know it.  
  
A little confused? The short story goes like this:  
  
I have sex with my long time girlfriend, Marissa Cooper.  
  
We break up, and she gets with this new kid from Chino.  
  
My dad comes out of the closet, and Chino, who has a name (imagine that!), befriends me after my friends ditch me.  
  
Next, I hook up with Julie Cooper.  
  
Who just happens to be Marissa's mother.  
  
Don't stop reading now. There's more.  
  
Chino, whose name is Ryan, catches me with Julie and tells me to end it. Well, actually, he kind of threatens me. Because if Marissa finds out, she'll be devastated. And we all know that Marissa doesn't deal well with situations like this one.  
  
Okay, I say. I'll end it.  
  
Before Marissa finds out.  
  
Easy enough.  
  
I head over to Julie's and we have a quickie, before she rushes off to some business dinner. When I finally catch her and tell her we need to break up, she's a little surprised. I guess it's not every day that a woman her age gets dumped by a guy young enough to be her son.  
  
That was easy.  
  
I should've known it wouldn't just end there. This is Newport, for crying out loud.  
  
I head over to Ryan's poolhouse and announce that I'm done having sex with Julie Cooper.  
  
Good for me, right? Marissa didn't find out and everything will go back to normal.  
  
She'll never know.  
  
Except...Marissa is there when I tell Ryan. I didn't see her because she was in the bathroom. Perfect timing, Luke.  
  
Oops.  
  
You've got that right.  
  
Now, Marissa ran off, and she's mad at Ryan too.  
  
I screwed up, big time. 


	2. Under the Pier

Caught!  
  
A/N: This is just a figment of my imagination, what would happen after Marissa ran out. I know that she goes to Chino and stays with Theresa, but I thought I'd mix it up a bit. There's going to be one more chapter, I think. Maybe Marissa's POV on what happens after this...Ryan comes into the picture as well!  
  
I agree to help Ryan find Marissa. She ran out after hearing about my relationship with her mom.  
  
We decide to split up. I'm to go to the pier and the beach. Ryan says he'll cover the mall and other shops.  
  
I'm walking along the pier when I spot Marissa's car parked next to the Crab Shack. I yank over the door with its large orange sticker:  
  
No shirt No shoes No problem  
  
Normally, I would laugh at this sign, but I've got more important things on my mind. I scan the crowd at the Crab Shack. It's not too busy, and I can tell that Marissa's not here. One, because I don't see her, and two, because there isn't a huddle of guys gathered around a girl. Which usually happens when she goes out.  
  
The first droplets of rain strike me as I exit the restaurant. She's probably on the beach, soaking her ass off, but that's Marissa. She's probably going to stay there until she catches pneumonia or someone finds her. Stubborn, always was, always will be.  
  
I run through the sand, the tiny grains sticking to my feet. The feeling of sand between my toes always irks me, but today I'm too busy to care. I've got to find her.  
  
I find her huddled under the pier where we shared our first kiss. My lips curl up slightly, remembering that rainy day we sought refuge under the weathered wood beams. That salty, sweet, wet kiss that first swept me off my feet. It was a long time ago; nevertheless, whenever I go here I think about the saliva swap. Okay, focus, Luke.  
  
She looks sad, her big blue eyes brimming with tears. With a distant look in her eyes, she doesn't seem to notice me, yet draws her knees close to her chest.  
  
For a second, I consider leaving her there and calling Ryan. I know she wants him to come rescue her.  
  
Because, as upset as she is with him for lying to her (or what she thinks was lying), I know she'd much rather see him than me.  
  
I can't even look her in the eye as I take a seat in the sand across from her. The reality of what I've done hits me. I slept with a mother and her daughter. And as good as Julie was, I knew it wasn't worth it to risk losing Marissa's friendship. Ryan was right. Where was my relationship going to go? Nowhere, that's where. All it would do was hurt Marissa, Ryan was right about that too.  
  
A part of me still loves Marissa. After all, she was my first girlfriend, and we shared many firsts together. I'm not going to go into that in detail, I'll leave that up to your imagination.  
  
What was I thinking? Ryan's voice penetrates my jumbled mind, reminding me. I wasn't thinking.  
  
"Marissa," I begin, not sure if she's listening or not. "Marissa," I repeat.  
  
She doesn't move. I gently lift her chin up so that she's looking directly at me.  
  
I expect to see malice and hurt.  
  
I see confusion and disbelief.  
  
I open my mouth to speak. To comfort her. But how? I have no idea. She starts to talk before I can try to make sense of the thoughts that can't be put into words.  
  
"My own mother," Marissa shakes her head. Her hair is wet and she shivers slightly. I contemplate giving her my polo shirt, so at least she'll have something dry to wear. But she probably doesn't want to wear something of mine ever again.  
  
"This is all my fault," I interrupt, as she takes a deep breath. The last thing I need is for Marissa to hate her mom. Well, even more than she does already.  
  
"Luke," Marissa averts her eyes. "Just don't." And then, a rhetorical question, not really directed at me. "How could she do this to me? Who is she going to seduce next? Ryan?"  
  
She finally opens the gateways and lets her tears spill, like water rushing forth in a dam. I slide next to her, putting my arm around her. When she doesn't recoil from my touch, I scoot closer.  
  
"She always has to one-up me. What is she trying to prove? That she still looks good enough at her age to get a guy my age?" I open my mouth to say that Julie actually liked me. In her words, I was fresh face in a sea of look-a-likes. I decide against it, figuring it's not the best time to praise Julie.  
  
"Marissa." Simple, yet full of meaning. I know she just wants to sit there and wallow in her misery. I'm prepared to do it with her.  
  
She buries her head in my shoulder, and I shudder slightly at the cool tears running down my neck. "You're the only one that cares."  
  
Oh, God. She really thinks that her mom seduced me. Don't get me wrong, I do care about Marissa. But I'm just as guilty as Julie. I've got the chocolate smeared on my face but she's blaming the one who was smart enough to wash it off her cheeks.  
  
And quite frankly, I'm a little disturbed that she hasn't lashed out at me. And a little disappointed. Because I know what I did was wrong in so many ways. 


	3. All I See is Nothing

Caught!  
  
Chapter 3: All I see is nothing  
  
A/N: I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks so this weekend I'll be trying to post new chapters for all my stories before I leave...except for Best Days—no I haven't forgotten about it, I just got a little sidetracked...so yeah!  
  
A/N2: So here's the third part of the story. Remember, this is all from my imagination. Usual disclaimers apply. Also, the title of this chapter is the last sentence in this chapter. I just liked the ring of it, so I chose it as the title! Onwards...  
  
Marissa asks for Ryan. I dial his number on my cell phone and tell him where she is. Then we sit there, in an uncomfortable, awkward silence. I'm nervous. Summer Roberts is known for her rage blackouts, but I've been subjected to more than my share of Marissa Cooper rages.  
  
And this is the quiet before the storm. When we were dating, she would get all sullen and withdrawn. Delicate, and I'd be afraid to approach her. And when I did, she would explode.  
  
Ryan arrives at the pier a few minutes later. I'm impressed with his swiftness. Then I remember, he loves her. And he's got to do damage control. Duh, Luke. How much more thickheaded can I get?  
  
Okay, don't answer that.  
  
Marissa collapses into Ryan's arms, and I take this as my cue to exit stage right. I know where I have to go. I'm dreading it, God knows I am, but I've got to talk to her.  
  
I drive to the Cooper house, parking farther down the street so that the Cohens and other neighbors won't see my car there. Being with Julie taught me secrecy; I'll give her that. I ring the doorbell and nervously fix my hair. Not that it helps; it's still soaked from the deluge of Marissa's tears and rain.  
  
Kaitlin answers the door. My throat tightens at the sight of her. Her wide, innocent eyes that greet me. Marissa told me that she has had a crush on me since she could walk. Great. If only she knew what I've done. Then she wouldn't have a crush on me, I bet. She'd probably be disgusted. It's only natural. I'm disgusted myself. That's why I try not to think about it.  
  
"Hey Kaitlin," I say, giving her a shaky smile. "Is your mom here?"  
  
"Sure, Luke," she grins, and bounces off. I hear her yelling for Julie, and I consider following her down the familiar hall. I decide against it; Julie probably wants to talk outside, where Kaitlin can't hear us.  
  
Julie appears at the door, her green eyes flashing with rage. "Hi, Luke," she says evenly, and I wonder when the malice in her eyes is going to show in her voice.  
  
I run my hands through my hair. "Can we talk?" I gesture outside. She nods, and yells something to Kaitlin.  
  
She shuts the door behind her as we walk outside. "What is it, Luke?" she sounds exasperated.  
  
"Marissa," I manage to croak out. "She knows."  
  
Julie's eyes grow wide as saucers, before narrowing again. "I thought we had an agreement. You weren't supposed to tell anyone."  
  
"Shit, Julie, did you think she was never going to find out? And I didn't mean to tell her. You know that Ryan and Seth know. They saw us at the motel. Guess it wasn't far enough away from life. I told Ryan that I ended it with you, but Marissa was there," I explain, absentmindedly cracking my knuckles. I shouldn't be scared of her. Why are my knees shaking? She's the one that did the bad thing. I'm the kid.  
  
"Look, was there a point to all this?" Julie waves her hands, and for a second I wonder if I'm supposed to interpret her apparent sign language. "I mean, what did you come here to talk to me about? Besides to remind me that a boy young enough to be my son dumped me? Or to remind me that I could get in deep shit for all of this?"  
  
I groan. "No. I came to tell you that you should talk to Marissa. Not that she'll listen. She thinks it's all your fault. She didn't even get mad at me. I think she's in shock, really. But you need to do something to show her that you're sorry. If that's even possible for you," I snap. God, is the woman *that* stupid?  
  
Julie places her hands on her hips in the typical Newpsie fashion. "I don't need you telling me how to raise my daughter, Luke," she says coolly.  
  
Oh, yeah? Two can play that game. "Oh, no. Don't get me wrong. I just thought you might want to put in a good word for yourself before Marissa tells Jimmy, and all of Newport."  
  
I can tell I've hit a nerve, as Julie flinches. "Goodbye, Luke."  
  
I walk to my car, feeling slightly down. What is her problem? We had this amazing relationship, and the sex...okay, I'm not going to get into that. But we had this major thing going on, and she has the nerve to treat me like shit? I was only trying to help her. Maybe she's got multiple personalities. Because the Julie Cooper I just talked to is not the same one I was at the Mermaid Inn with. Believe me.  
  
Reaching under the seat, I grin when I feel the cool, smooth glass. It's my emergency bottle. For stress and tough times only. I think this qualifies for a time of distress. Don't you? Don't answer that.  
  
The tequila burns my throat as it slips and slides down. It feels good, numbing the emotional pain I'm feeling. No wonder Marissa has such a horrible relationship with her mother. Julie really knows how to play with your feelings.  
  
I hardly notice that it's gotten dark out. I guess I didn't realize it, since it was cloudy and raining all day. It's down to a slight drizzle, so I don't bother turning my lights on. As I turn out of the neighborhood, I take one last swig of my drink and stash it back under the seat. Hopefully Ryan managed to qualm Marissa's fears and tears.  
  
The tequila has distracted my mind from the mess I've made with the Cooper women, as that last thought of Marissa drifts away.  
  
I barely hear the cars honking at me, wondering why I'm swerving all over the road while it's dark and rainy.  
  
Two headlights, coming straight at me. Then all I see is nothing. 


End file.
